Box Score NCCU SB v. Savannah State
RALEIGH, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) - The Lady Eagles of North Carolina Central University played their first extra inning contest of the season in 7-3 loss to the Tigers of Savannah State University on Friday, April 6 in Raleigh, N.C., at the Walnut Creek Park Softball Contest.
As the two teams ended regular-inning competition with two runs apiece, it was the effort of SSU in the top of the 10
th that sealed the first-of-three contest on the weekend.
Maroon and gray senior Andrea Searls guided NCCU with three hits, one run and one RBI on five times at bat. Fellow classmate Aurora pitched 8.0 for NCCU. She struck out three Tigers, while tallying 10 hits, two runs and two walks in her time in the circle. Junior Bianka Molina relieved Baker for 2.0 innings of action to allow five hits and five runs, while striking out one batter.
After two consecutive innings of offensive silence, SSU exploded in the top of the 10
th connecting on five hits and seizing five runs.
The NCCU defense opened the contest by quickly ending SSU’s batting outing in the top of the first. Baker opened at the circle by striking out the first Tigers’ batters, while her fellow Lady Eagles putout out two.
Maroon and gray juniors Nadia Jefferies and Sarah Kaiser made it on base, but without a hit, the duo was left stranded as the top of the second commenced.
Savannah State’s second inning continued in the same fashion with one batter reaching first base off a walk and the remaining batters caught by putouts.
NCCU found little success in the bottom of the second, going 3-up-3-down.
The Tigers slugged one hit and left two on base before concluded the top of third without a run.
NCCU snapped the runless play. With runners on first and second base, Searls slugged a hit to send her fellow Lady Eagle home and take a 1-0 lead. But with two outs already on the board, SSU ended the inning by catching Searls stealing.
The Tigers evened out the score by sending one runner in the top of the fourth.
The mighty maroon closed out the bottom of the fourth without a run, leaving the contest gridlocked at one run apiece.
The squad in orange and blue came close to taking the lead, but junior Shakemia Edwards displayed her defense authority putting out the batter on a popup and catching the runner to end the top of the fifth.
NCCU found itself in another 3-up-3-down inning in the bottom of fifth.
The Georgia foes found themselves in another short inning, as no one from the Tigers squad reached a base.
Searls opened the Lady Eagles six innings with a double to right center field, Edwards slugged a sacrifice fly to right field to send Searls to third and sophomore Amanda Bullock slugged a hit in left field to send Searls home and take a 2-1 lead into the top of the seventh.
SSU set the contest into a jam with one run and two hits to tie the contest 2-2 in the top of the seventh.
Despite junior Nadia Jefferies reaching second base, NCCU could not obtain a run taking the contest into extra innings.
Neither squad attained a run in the eighth, sending the matchup into a ninth inning. With seven innings of play under her cleats, NCCU head coach Theresa Stephens sent Molina to the mound to relieve Baker in the top of the ninth.
The top of the 10
th inning commenced with both teams still tied at two runs apiece.
SSU took broke the runless contest by bringing three Tigers home, including Katherine Stewart who slugged a homerun in the top of the 10
th for a 5-2 lead. The Georgia natives sent two additional runners home before concluding the inning.
With Jefferies starting on second base, NCCU amassed one run for a final score of 7-3.
NCCU continues the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference weekend with a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. against Savannah State in Raleigh, N.C., at the Walnut Creek Park Softball Complex.
